Sales says: "We need more leads." Marketing says: "We don't have the budget." And you decide — because there's nobody else.
Most mid-sized companies don't have a CMO. No strategic marketing function. No one connecting product, market, and sales. What they do have: a strong core product and a growing sense that the old growth logic no longer works. That's exactly where marqueteer comes in.
The first conversation clarifies whether marqueteer is the right answer for your situation.
Schedule conversationDoes this sound familiar?
Growth in recent years came from the product, the sales team, and personal relationships. RfPs? Demand? Never a problem. Fast forward to today:
- Core business growth has stalled or slowed below expectations.
- A new market, channel, or target segment is on the agenda — without a structured approach to get there.
- The marketing function (if one exists) runs on activity, not architecture.
- An external consultant delivered a plan. It was never implemented.
- The question isn't whether to invest — it's where.
What marqueteer delivers in this situation
Thorsten Rhode doesn't deliver recommendations for another team to implement. Diagnosis, planning, and operational execution sit with one operator — from the first assessment through to the point where the organisation runs independently.
That runs along the Go-To-Market Value Chain: five interdependent stages — customer insight, product positioning, marketing, channel strategy, measurement. The diagnostic reveals where value is being created, where it's being lost, and where a fix in one stage is being undermined by an undiagnosed problem in another.
The output isn't a 200-page document. It's a decision-ready brief and an actionable plan.
CustomerWho actually buys, and why?
ProductDoes the value proposition hold?
MarketingDoes messaging support growth?
ChannelDoes the route fit buying behavior?
MeasurementAre decisions evidence-based?
Reference engagements — what comparable situations produced
PE-backed premium manufacturer | Healthcare sector (international)
A mobility aids manufacturer with strong B2B distribution but no direct route to the end consumer. The mandate: build a complete B2C marketing architecture from zero — positioning, channel strategy, digital lead generation, team build — as a member of the executive board across almost years and six countries. ROI-positive digital lead generation within twelve months for a product category that didn't previously exist.
Owner-managed specialty goods business.
20M USD in business development potential identified — 2M USD realised within one year. The entry point was a revenue-by-customer analysis. The diagnostic revealed that the siloed sales team structure overlooked the available market opportunity.
Entry formats for SME situations
Three natural entry points depending on the situation and readiness to commit:
- Clear Focus — Structured GTM diagnostic within weeks. Clear output, low commitment, no obligation beyond. The typical first step.
- Interim Leadership — Full-time or near full-time for a defined period. Thorsten Rhode takes operational accountability — decisions, team build, execution.
- Project-Based — A scoped deliverable in a defined timeframe: positioning, channel strategy, launch plan. Right when the problem is clearly named.
Not another consultant with a slide deck
Twenty years with and/or for P&G, Ehrmann, and Disney-calibre thinking applied to mid-sized companies that don't normally have access to it. Not in an advisory capacity. Not on day rates. As an operational partner with mandate, decision authority, and a clearly defined goal: the organisation runs independently when the engagement ends.
Fees: project-based. Defined scope, defined outcome, fixed fee.
The first conversation establishes fit.
No commitment, no risk — a direct assessment of whether Marqueteer is the right answer to your situation.